Art among the vines

During the third annual Art in the Wineries event, which opened in April, work by more than 80 local artists can be found at nearly four dozen wineries through mid-June.

“The art and the wine really go hand in hand,” said Beth Costa, executive director of Wine Road, an alliance of wineries and lodgings in the Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River valleys.

Co-sponsored by Wine Road and the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, the winery displays feature work by most of the artists taking part in the 15th annual Art at the Source open studio tour June 6-7 and 13-14.

“If you’re intrigued by these artists’ work at the wineries,” Costa explained, “then you’ll be able to go visit their studios in June.”

At Terroirs Artisan Wines in Geyserville, seven abstract paintings by artist and author Carol Watanabe have caught visitors’ attention, said tasting room manager Kristine Shirley.

“Everyone that comes through is very drawn to the artwork,” Shirley said. “It’s been a terrific experience for people who are out tasting wine to also get a look at local art.”

Wine Road sees the art displays as a way of offering wine tourists an added attraction, and has been marketing Art at the Wineries throughout the Bay Area and beyond, Costa said.

“If you’re going to come here for three or four days of wine tasting, it’s just another thing to see,” she added.

“You’re going to want to see some gardens and go on a couple of tours,” Costa noted. “Then, if you also can go to a couple wineries that have art on display, it rounds out the experience.”

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at 521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com. See his ARTS blog at http://arts.pressdemocrat.com.